THE FAB LAB, FOLKETS HUS

Umeå, Sweden. 

This project was done with our friends in the LIAI. 

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Glöggt er gests augað
“Clear is the eye of the guest”
Icelandic proverb.

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What is the Fab Lab?
The Fab Lab has its roots in the concept of a “Critical Fiction” and takes its name from the Latin “fabula”: a discourse, story or narrative, which has come into English as ‘fable’ or ‘fabulous’ (worthy of a story). In a critical

fiction, a story is used to understand problems by discussing them from another’s point of view. Using it as a meeting concept, by taking on the rôle of someone distant from their normal persona those taking part in the meeting can escape their daily concerns and approach the discussion in a new light. Playing a part is central to the Fab Lab’s success, and this is achieved by supplying costumes, dressing rooms and a stage that are part of a participant’s journey. After deciding which dressing-room door to take, each person finds themselves in a high, narrow room, lit with a soft, otherworldly light and draped in clothes
and props. They decide on their character, perhaps reading the room’s handbook which is placed prominently on a shelf, and finally make their way through a curtainand mount the stage.